Progress & Religion: An Historical Inquiry (Works of Christopher Dawson)

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Christopher Dawson (1889-1970) was one the premier Roman Catholic thinkers of this century. Dawson's central concern was the relationship between religion and culture. Dawson drew on an extensive knowledge of history, philosophy, sociology and theology to illuminate this connection from the beginnings of history to the modern age.

Although some of his books remain in print, Catholic University of America Press is printing new editions of his most important works. This edition of Progress & Religion contains a forward by Dawson's daughter Christina (1922-2001) and an introduction by the well-known sociologist Mary Douglas.

Progress & Religion, which came out in 1929, is perhaps Dawson's most important work. Dawson argues that at the center of any great civilization is its religion, and this religion animates and gives it a sense of purpose. This is particularly the case with Christianity. "[T]he victory of the Church in the 4th century was not, as so many modern critics would have us believe, the natural culmination of the religious evolution of the ancient world. It was, on the contrary, a violent interruption of that process which forced European civilization out of its own orbit . . . ." [p. 126.] The Western Church vivified society by breaking with oriental spiritualism and showing that "human intelligence . . . finds its natural activity in the sphere of the sensible and particular." [p. 137.]

It would make an interesting study to compare the work of Dawson with that of Robert Nisbet. Like Nisbet, Dawson was learned in the area of sociology and drew upon an extensive knowledge of sociologists such as Le Play, Comte and Durkheim. They both saw Rousseau as one the chief villains. As Dawson said, Rousseau effected a "new Reformation" and was the ideological godfather of the French Revolution. They both wrote extensively on the idea of progress. However, whereas Nisbet was "pious skeptic" (according to Prof. Gottfried), Dawson was a believer and his work contains a greater sense of urgency. Indeed, some of his writings between the wars were quite prophetic.